Summary: New research indicates that young adults with lower levels of continual attention are more likely to use nicotine and marijuana in later life. The study, which analyzed brain imaging data from over 1, 000 individuals, found that lowered interest at age 14 was linked to increased material usage by age 23.
This suggests that consideration deficits could be used as first indicators to identify people who are at risk of using substances. The findings may advise targeted interventions that aim to increase adolescent interest and possibly lower adolescent substance use in the future.
Important Information:
- Lower than average attention span at 14 years old predicts increased material usage by 23.
- This connection was made clear by brain imaging files from 1, 000 members over time.
- First changes to improve attention may help to lessen the risk of substance misuse.
Origin: TCD
According to new research from Trinity College Dublin, adolescence’s lower interest skill may identify smoke and cannabis use in young age.  ,
Prolonged attention, the ability to keep focus on a job over time, is an important mental ability. Substance use, especially cigarettes and hemp,  , has previously been linked to difficulties in prolonged interest. However, it was not clear whether material apply came before or as a result of poor sustained attention.
For the first time, the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal , covering, demonstrated that a higher raise in smoke and cannabis use by era 23 was predicted by lower sustained attention and relevant brain network activity at age 14.
Researchers at Trinity’s School of Psychology and School of Medicine came up with the idea that sustained interest and brain activity may serve as first indicators of substance use risk.
The study involved the examination of brain imaging files from over 1, 000 individuals in the IMAGEN research, obtained at age 14, 19, and 23 decades.
Robert , Whelan, Professor in Psychology, who led the study group, explained:” The widespread usage of smoke and cannabis among adolescents and young adults in Ireland and abroad is a significant public health priority, with big long-term wellness implications”.
Our findings could help the development of targeted educational programs and cognitive training programs to improve attention in adolescents who have been identified as vulnerable to substance use by identifying lower sustained attention as a predictor of substance use.
” This proactive approach could reduce substance abuse risks, improve individual lives, and lessen societal burdens related to addiction.”
About this news and news from the study of substance abuse
Author: Fiona Tyrrell
Source: TCD
Contact: Fiona Tyrrell – TCD
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
By Robert , Whelan et al.,” A robust brain network that can be sustained from childhood to adulthood and predicts later substance use.” eLife
Abstract
A robust brain network that can be sustained from childhood to adulthood and predicts later substance use
In late adolescence and early adulthood, substance use, including cigarettes and cannabis, is associated with poorer sustained attention.
Previous studies were primarily cross-sectional or underdeveloped, unable to establish whether impairment in sustained attention contributed to substance abuse or whether such behavior was a sign of inclination.
In this study, over 1000 participants aged 14 to 23 longitudinally studied the relationship between sustained attention and substance use.
At age 14, behaviors and brain connectivity linked to a diminished sustained attention level predicted subsequent increases in cannabis and cigarette smoking, establishing sustained attention as a reliable biomarker of vulnerability to substance use.
Individual differences in network strength that are relevant to sustained attention were preserved across developmental stages, and sustained attention networks were also compared to participants in an external dataset.
In summary, brain networks of sustained attention are robust, consistent, and able to predict aspects of later substance use.
